In article ,
David in Normandy wrote:

Nick - a long time ago you mentioned soaking beans (seeds) in water and
"something" and this reduced the windiness of the beans when they were
subsequently cooked. What was the solution? Salt, sugar, bi-carb I've
forgotten. I've got a good haul of runner bean seeds and they have a
certain unwanted side effect.

Nothing so chemical. Just cover them with ample boiling water,
let cool, and throw away water. Repeat a few times (1-5, to taste).
Even if they are softening, they need boiling for 10 minutes before
slow cooking, to destroy the glycosides.

It's a good idea not to salt beans until after cooking, as doing so
earlier can make them tough.

The above works, not perfectly, but reasonably.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.